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Indulgences and the Year of the Eucharist
To understand what an
indulgence is, we have to know what our sin does to ourselves and the
world. When we commit sin,
two things happen. First, we
kill the life of grace within us. This
deserves punishment. Spiritually,
a sinner is a dead man, walking. Second,
by removing grace from ourselves, we also remove grace from the created
universe. Thus, each sin, no
matter how venial, attacks both the moral order of the universe and the
very material of creation itself. I. Forgiveness When God pours out mercy in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, He does something we have no right to expect – He
forgives our sins and restores the life of grace within us, resurrecting
us from death. As a result,
we must act (penance) to change our life and renew our way of living
(amendment of life). However,
though we have been resurrected, we still deserve punishment for the
attack we made on God’s creation. Further,
the horrible consequences of our attack, which removed grace from
creation, continue to affect the world even if we ourselves have been
healed through the sacrament. God expects us to help repair the damage. II.
Repair Work We can do this repair work either here on earth or in
Purgatory. Since God intended
us to live with our bodies united with our souls, it is much easier to do
this repair work here. In
Purgatory, our bodies and souls are separate.
The suffering of Purgatory is always much more painful than
suffering on earth because it’s harder to do the necessary repair work
when the body isn’t around to help. III.
The Storehouse John Cardinal Newman said, “ The smallest venial sin
rocks the foundations of the created world.”
That is, even our smallest sin can cause devastating consequences
in creation... However,
through God’s grace, the holiness of even the lowliest saint far exceeds
the harm that even the greatest sinner could do.
Further, Christ’s work on the Cross is infinitely greater in
merit than that of the greatest saint in Christendom, the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Thus, the graces won by
Christ and the saints are an infinite treasure that can be used to heal
the wounds of the world. God
intends us to use this treasury – indeed, we could not help wipe out the
effects of our sin without the divine treasury God established.
An indulgence, then, applies the graces won by Christ and the
saints to the world so as to heal the wounds I caused by my sins.
When I perform an indulgenced act, I act in obedience to God
through His Church. The
Church responds to my obedience by making available the grace necessary to
render my punishment unnecessary and heal the world.
The effects of my sin in the world… can be brought to an end.
A plenary indulgence heals all of the effects of one person’s
sins. A partial indulgence
heals part of the effects. I
can win indulgences only for myself or those in Purgatory, who have need
of assistance because they currently lack bodies. Indulgences cannot be applied towards other living
persons. Every living person
is supposed to do his own acts of obedience to help heal the worldly
effects of his own sinfulness. (Catechism
of the Catholic Church 1471-1473) The
Three Classes of Indulgenced Works Prayer The Christian who, during the performance of his
duties and endurance of the difficulties of life, raises his mind in
humility and trust to God while making, at least mentally, a pious
invocation (may earn a partial indulgence). Almsgiving The Christian who, due to his faith, devotes himself
or his possessions in loving service to men in need (partial indulgence). Fasting The Christian who, in penitence, voluntarily abstains
from something which is permitted and pleasing (partial indulgence).
A plenary
indulgence can be obtained any day of the year by doing any one of the
following: ·
Adoring the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half hour, ·
Devoutly reading Scripture for at least one half hour, ·
Devoutly performing the Stations of the Cross, ·
Reciting the Rosary with members of the family, or in a
church, oratory, religious community or pious association. For a partial
indulgence, the work must be done while in a state of grace and with
the general intention of earning an indulgence. Requirements
for obtaining a plenary indulgence:
Notes:
Special
Plenary Indulgences The Pope has instituted special indulgences for
the Year of the Eucharist (October 2004 through October 2005) to
re-emphasize the importance of this ancient teaching. 1)
Each time the faithful participate attentively and
piously in a sacred function or a devotion undertaken in honor of the
Blessed Sacrament, solemnly exposed or conserved in the tabernacle, and
satisfy the usual conditions, they may earn a plenary indulgence. 2) All who are obligated by law to recite the Liturgy of
the Hours, as well as those who customarily recite the Divine Office out
of pure devotion, each and every time they recite - at the end of the day,
in company or private - vespers and night prayers before the Lord present
in the tabernacle, and satisfy the usual conditions, may earn a plenary
indulgence. Those legitimately unable to attend
devotions but who make a spiritual visit with the heart’s desire, hold a
spirit of faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of
the Altar and pray the Our Father and the Creed, adding a pious invocation
to Jesus in the Sacrament (for example, “May the Most Holy Sacrament be
blessed and praised forever”), or those unable to do even this who unite
their sufferings to Christ in the sacrament and intend to accomplish the
three conditions as soon as possible, may also earn the plenary
indulgence. (Portions of this text are reproduced with permission,
Copyright, Bridegroom Press, 2004, www.bridegroompress.com.
Taken from the “Keys to Grace, Calendar of Indulgences.”
Nihil Obstat: Msgr. Stephen P. Rohlfs, Censer Librorum.
Imprimatur: Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, Catholic Diocese of
Peoria. The nihil obstat
and imprimatur are official declarations that a book is free of
doctrinal and moral error. No
implication is contained herein that those who have granted the nihil
obstat and imprimatur agree with the content, opinions, or
statements expressed.)
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